For Palin there's no place like home...in a bad way  —  It's a well known fact that Sarah Palin is the most unpopular major political figure in the country...one thing that may be less well known is that one of the states where voters have the dimmest view of her is her own home state of Alaska.

The merger of journalists and government officials  —  The video of the CNN debate I did last night about WikiLeaks with former Bush Homeland Security Adviser (and CNN contributor) Fran Townsend and CNN anchor Jessica Yellin is posted below.  The way it proceeded was quite instructive …

MAYBE CHRISTIE CAN SEND A POSTCARD.... Following up on an item from yesterday, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) and his lieutenant governor were told Sunday about the blizzard barreling down on the Garden State.  Soon after, they left town at the same time, with Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno (R) …

Obama weighs in on Michael Vick, and other cultural issues  —  HONOLULU - President Obama doesn't seem to shy away from the divisive social and cultural topics that Americans are debating in their living rooms, gyms and workplaces.  —  He has spoken out about the responsibility of fathers …

Obama and Income Inequality: No New Brazils!  —  We're going to be hearing a lot about income inequality over the next few years.  It may be an abstract concept, but it gets hits like Sarah Palin and attracts grant money like Cory Booker.  Tim Noah's series on the subject was (rightly) so popular he got a book contract out of it.

Concision and the Public Intellectual  —  A friend of mine sent me the video below as an expansion on our conversation around cable news.  It's a discussion from the 1980s about why Noam Chomsky had never been on Nightline.  I dislike many of the sweeping generalizations which Chomsky makes at the end.

Lawmakers Finance Pet Projects Without Earmarks  —  WASHINGTON — No one was more critical than Representative Mark Steven Kirk when President Obama and the Democratic majority in the Congress sought passage last year of a $787 billion spending bill intended to stimulate the economy.

Tests of ‘Roe’ more frequent since justices upheld late-term abortion ban in '07  —  LINCOLN, NEB. - Mike Flood, the 35-year-old speaker of Nebraska's legislature, had a problem: He wanted to stop the state's well-known abortion provider from offering late-term abortions.

Just 21% Want FCC to Regulate Internet, Most Fear Regulation Would Promote Political Agenda  —  American voters believe free market competition will protect Internet users more than government regulation and fear that regulation will be used to push a political agenda.

Economic Optimism?  Yes, I'll Take That Bet  —  Five years ago, Matthew R. Simmons and I bet $5,000.  It was a wager about the future of energy supplies — a Malthusian pessimist versus a Cornucopian optimist — and now the day of reckoning is nigh: Jan. 1, 2011.

National Film Registry Adds 25 Films  —  National Film Registry Chooses 25 Films for 2010 Additions  —  It's official.  When, in hundreds of years, the future of humanity scours the U.S. Library of Congress for clues as to how primitively we lived back in the early 21st century …

Health plans for high-risk patients attracting fewer, costing more than expected  —  An early feature of the new health-care law that allows people who are already sick to get insurance to cover their medical costs isn't attracting as many customers as expected.

GAO Sees Problems in Government's Financial Management  —  Like what you see?  Click here to sign up for Accounting Today's daily newsletter to get the latest news and behind the scenes commentary you won't find anywhere else.  —  “Even though significant progress has been made since …

Iraq Wants the U.S. Out  —  Prime Minister, in Interview, Says Troops Must Leave Next Year as Planned  —  BAGHDAD—Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ruled out the presence of any U.S. troops in Iraq after the end of 2011, saying his new government and the country's security forces were capable …

How WikiLeaks Just Set Back Democracy in Zimbabwe  —  Last year, early on Christmas Eve morning, representatives from the U.S., United Kingdom, Netherlands, and the European Union arrived for a meeting with Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.  Appointed prime minister earlier …

Top Gear stars cause religious row after dressing up in burkas on Boxing Day special  —  Jeremy Clarkson and his Top Gear co-stars have sparked religious outrage after dressing up in burkas on the Boxing Day special.  —  Clarkson and Richard Hammond decided to dress in niqabs …

US Predators strike again in North Waziristan  —  The Ghulam Khan area in Pakistan.  Click to view larger map.  —  US Predators struck again today in Pakistan's Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan, launching two airstrikes in an area right along the border with Afghanistan.

Tea Party Organizer Jumps Into Va. Senate Race  —  The 2012 Senate campaign has its first tea party candidate.  —  Jamie Radtke, head of the Virginia Federation of Tea Party Patriots, has filed federal papers to run for the Republican nomination for the Senate seat now held by Virginia Democrat James Webb.

Daniels says debt could wreck America  —  Also explains “truce” comment … Mark Mellinger: “Many have said you [would] have a lot going against you if you were running for president.  And some obstacles you just can't help.  One is that you're short.”  —  Mitch Daniels: “I don't dispute it.

GOP Turns To K Street Veterans To Help Unravel Health Care Law  —  House Republicans are turning to old friends on K Street to lead their legislative attempts to repeal the new health care law.  —  Three recently hired Republican aides — two set to work in senior positions on the powerful Energy …

Group Opposed To DADT Repeal To Fight On Against Shower Policy  —  Since 1993, the Center for Military Readiness has been fighting to keep gay men and lesbians from infiltrating the United States military.  So now that “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” has been repealed, what's next for the group …

Social Security reform is the answer to Obama's problems - and the nation's  —  The main achievements of the lame-duck session of Congress were reminders of what might have been.  President Obama gave something to get something.  To secure a second stimulus, he accepted Republican economic methods.

Penn.  Governor Ed Rendell sounds off … The city of Philadelphia is set to host the NFL's first Tuesday night game in 64 years, and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell (D) couldn't be more upset about it.  —  “It goes against everything that football is all about,” Rendell said Monday on radio station 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia.